WWE Network Pick of the Week – February 2018

Week of February 26, 2018

I don’t mean to step on any toes or infringe on the gimmick of Intern Mark, but this week, I’d like to take a dip into an event that is very pivotal into me becoming a fan of this crazy world of professional wrestling/sports entertainment. To give some backstory, I’m raised in the South so 6:05pm start times for wrestling on television is just second nature to me and the WCW more than the WWF was king for me. Thanks to WCW, I learned how to write by re-writing the names of Flyin’ Brian and Ron Simmons on the cardboard cards of the action figures. Thanks to WCW, I formed my most long-lasting and best friendship. Needless to say, wrestling has played a huge part in my life. I’m sure some if not all of those reading this can say the same.

Per usual, I’d like to draw attention to 3 things that make WCW’s Starrcade 1992 something special.

1) For all you traditionalists, there is plenty of great wrestling on this event. Great Muta vs. Masa Chono, Barry Windham and Brian Pillman vs. Shane Douglas and Ricky Steamboat, Sting vs. Vader. You can’t go wrong with any or all of these of these match-ups.

2) Get your formal education on one of WCW’s staple match ideas: BATTLEBOWL! If you are not aware, teams of two are drawn at random to face off with one another with the winners moving on a battle royal at the end of the night. Anyone can team with anyone and it makes for some very interesting partners throughout the night.

3) You get to listen to one of my favorite commentary teams of all time in Jesse Ventura and Jim Ross. The way they compliment each other with their call of the action is akin to JR/King, Gorilla/Heenan, and Gorilla/Ventura. Just remember, it’s a different time and things could be said in 1992 that may not translate well into 2018.

Get your popcorn ready, carve out about 3 hours of your day (or small snippets of your week) and dig into an event that has a soft spot in my heart and unlike a lot of things from one’s childhood, can still be looked at as good as you remember, if not better!

Since the WWE is in the mood for the Elimination Chamber PPV this Sunday to put a new spin on both matches, I wanted us to take a look at the last time the WWE put a spin on the Chamber when 6 teams were locked inside the 10 tons of steel and 2 miles of chain for the WWE Tag Team Championships.

Like last week, I’d like to draw attention to a few things in this match that may have been missed, even though this match is less than 3 years old.

1) This match is a grand testament to WWE’s rejuvenated interest in the tag team division, spearheaded by The New Day, Kidd & Cesaro, and The Usos (out due to injury).

2) You are taken back to the start of the villain era of The New Day. The New Day just one month prior turned heel at Payback 2015.

3) You get the nostalgia of The Ascension from their NXT days. Going back and watching this match again makes me excited for when Konnor and Viktor are tapped once again to be leading men in the tag team scene.

While this match may not be some wrestling fan’s cup of tea for a variety of reasons, it makes me hopeful for this weekend’s event to see how WWE will innovate with not only the Women’s Chamber, but also the inclusion of a seventh superstar in the Men’s Chamber.

For the first ever Positive WWE Network Pick of the Week, I wanted to choose something that has a lot of mass appeal as it features newly minted WWE Champion Ric Flair defending the championship against, in my opinion the greatest character in WWE (or wrestling) history, The Undertaker.

There are a few takeaways from this match that make it my pick of the week.

1) You will notice very early on that there is no commentary for this match. For any fans that have ever wanted to try their hand at commentary, this match is perfect for practice! If not, it’s great to hear a match for the sounds of the ring and the crowd.

2) You get to see a WCW style match in a WWE ring. In this match, Undertaker plays the part of Sting, Lex Luger, Nikita Koloff and any other big man that Flair faced in the late 1980s and 1990 before making the leap to WWE in late 1991.

3) You get to be reminded of the greatness that was Mr. Perfect as a manager. While a lot of people remember the great times Curt Hennig had inside of the ring, people often sleep on Mr. Perfect taking over for Bobby Heenan as Ric Flair’s Executive Consultant. Perfect leaves his fingerprints all over this match-up, playing the perfect foil for The Undertaker’s managerial cohort, Paul Bearer.

This fun 12-minute romp is definitely worthwhile to watch and will definitely satisfy a craving for Classic Nature Boy and Old School Taker fans reading this.